Chapter 2

ADIRA

"Throw her inside!" The chief guard orders his men when we got closer to the cell. From where I am standing outside, I can see the angry faces of my fellow inmates staring at me as though they wanted nothing more but to pounce on me one after the other.

"Please don't put me in there again." I plead, just like I do every single day but none of them are interested in listening to me. My knees buckle and my legs almost give way but they catch me on time before shoving me inside and in a split second, the other inmates gang up in a circle around me.

"Welcome back little thief." One of them spits angrily and grabs me by the hair while the others throw punches at me one after the other till I almost pass out. When they are done roughening me up, they throw me across the room where I curl up in a fetal ball and weep bitterly.

It's been three days since I was forcefully accused of a crime I didn't commit and locked in here. Three days since I was almost murdered because my friend chose to betray me. No one had come to visit or interrogate me. I have given up hope of ever proving my innocence or getting out of this dreadful situation.

I have accepted my fate that no one will come to my rescue. The last few days here have been nothing but hell. I've been beaten, bruised and tortured to the point where I have suddenly become numb to the pain that was inflicted on me and to make matters worse, I've been forced to sleep on the cold bare surface of the heavily guarded cell every night.

At this point, I want nothing more but to die. There is nothing left for me here anymore and there is no point in staying alive when I have lost everything. Not even my own people believe that I am innocent so what's the point of living?

Countless times, I have tried to plead my innocence but no one is interested in listening to my side of the story. I've been abandoned by everyone I trust.

"Get up, filthy peasant. It's time to go." I recognize the loud and angry voice of the chief guard followed by the rattling of keys from the little corner of the cell where I am currently huddled in. Why is he back here again?

Did I do something wrong or am I finally being released? The only one who can do this is Richard. Maybe he has realized that I am innocent. I feel a small wave of euphoria at that thought.

I have always known that he wouldn't be able to lock me up here for a long time. He has always loved and taken care of me. I knew that it was only a matter of time before he figured out the truth and I wasn't wrong.

I force myself to stand up but my whole body protests the said action.

"Get her out of there." He orders the other guards that had come with him and on command, they barge into my cell and forcefully drag me from the cold, hard surface to stand up on my feet.

"Follow me." The guard instructs me and turns to leave but I can’t bring myself to move an inch from where I stood.

"Where?" I blurt out, stopping him in his tracks. He turns to look at me as if I've said something out of line. "Where are we going?"

Without uttering another word, he only glares at me and starts walking away, leaving me to quietly follow. At first, I was puzzled. If Richard had asked for my release then didn’t he come here to take me with him? Why did he send the guards in his place?

My head is filled with thoughts and different questions that I can’t find the answer to but I brush it off as quickly as they come. It doesn't matter if Richard sent them here to get me, what matters is that I am finally able to leave this wretched place.

With that, I slowly trail after him till we arrive at a bedroom door. He opens it and ushers himself inside.

"What are we doing here?" I question when he didn't say anything. Instead, he picks up a dress from the bed and stretches it towards me.

"Clean yourself up and put this on." The guard threatens fiercely. With shaky hands, I take the dress from his hands and examine it. It is a sultry lace lingerie with a flowery corset bodice.

I try to ask why he wants me to put on this revealing dress but refrain from doing so. I don’t want to infuriate him any more than he already is so I decide against it.

"You have just a few minutes to get ready so hurry up or you'll be sorry." He adds before walking out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

As soon as he leaves, I quickly do as I am told. I bathe myself and proceed to wear the outfit that he has given to me. Just then, the door pushes open and Richard walks in followed by the pack's doctor.

All the pain and hurt that I was feeling for the past three days flew out the window the minute I laid my eyes on him. The joy that I have been trying to suppress ever since I got here burst into an open flame that overwhelms me. He came for me.

Tears sting my eyes and the next thing I know, I am throwing my arms around him in a tight hug. I can’t stop the tears from falling and honestly, I don’t want to.

Richard holds me by my arms and pulls me away slowly so that there is a bridge between us. "I didn't come here for this Adira so don't try to throw yourself at me."

His words leave me speechless but the look on his face tells me that he means it. He turns to the doctor beside him. "Make sure her wounds are treated properly and that all her scars are covered completely. I want her to look flawless as though she has never been beaten by anyone all her life." He instructs the doctor who nods at his request.

I chuckle dryly. "I don't understand. Aren't you happy to see me?"

He pushes a strand of hair behind my ears. "Of course I'm happy to see you, Adira. You see, I need your help. We are at war with the bloodhound pack and we have decided to make peace with them so that we can both settle our differences and put this fight behind us."

I force a smile. He is acting like this because he's obviously stressed. The bloodhound pack has been an enemy to our pack for years. Their leader is a tyrant who practiced slavery and loves to abuse young women so I can understand why this war must've taken a toll on him but why did he say that he needed my help when none of this had nothing to do with me in the first place?

"What do you need my help with?" I ask after a brief moment of silence.

His lips curl in a smirk as he sizes me up. "Alpha Conan has asked for a sex slave in exchange for peace and what other woman would fit the position of a slave befitting such a man?" He clicks his tongue nastily.

"You see, I told him that I would give him a woman that will be worth his time. You would've been my woman if you hadn't betrayed me and since I cannot punish you myself, then consider this your punishment for betraying me."

I feel my heart rip out in two as my stomach churn at the news. "W-What are you trying to say?" I ask, air vanishing from my lungs all of sudden.

"I'm saying that you, my dear, belong to Alpha Conan now." He drops the bombshell, leaving me speechless and at a loss for words.